Bedtime Stories
by LoveMachineLX
Summary: Mr. Big's crime wave continues to grow as Cameron dons her cape and mask for the first time.
1. I Don't Sleep

**Author's note**:

**Alright, this is my way of blowing off some steam as I continue to work on my season three interpretation. This is also my first ever venture at writing for Cameron, who is probably the most challenging character to characterize in TSCC.**

**This story takes place during season two, but the time is unspecified. It's much safer to classify this as an AU fic, as I don't want the hassle of writing around or through individual episodes in a predictable manner, so I leave the matter at the descretion of the reader as the story develops. **

**I had some fun writing this, so I hope you guys can get a kick out of it too. This is going to be a much more relaxed experience than "All Creation" is turning out to be, so feel free to leave your input wherever you like. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

><p>"Kevin, it's time to leave." Kevin's mother bent down and adjusted the eight-year-old's tie and took the opportunity to brush some of the stray hairs from his newly-bought tuxedo.<p>

"Okay." The young boy quietly replied.

The drive to the funeral was one of the longest that Kevin could remember. Even after they arrived at the church, Kevin was still never more than an arm's length from his mother's side throughout the entire proceeding. He could hear the various whispers and the many nervous glances that bore down on him from time to time.

"It's okay, son." Father Armando Bonilla said as he was guided to the casket at the front. "I want you to know that God works in great and mysterious ways. There's a reason for this, I want you to know that."

Kevin kept his silence. It made things easier for him - and he refused to let these strangers around him see him cry. It was only when he finally reached the casket when he sought the elder priest's counsel.

"What do I say?" Kevin asked.

"You don't have to say anything." The older priest replied. "Just remember the good times you shared. Those memories that you cherished that will stay with you for the rest of your life. That is what's most important."

Kevin let out a heavy sigh as he stared at the body of his best friend for the last time and said the only thing that he could think of.

"Goodbye." he whispered before turning around and meeting the embrace of his mother.

* * *

><p>"I just want you to know how brave you were today." Kevin mother said to him from the driver's seat. "I'm thinking we should go out for ice cream. What'd you think?"<p>

"No, I'm okay…"

"Did you just want to go home then?"

"Yeah…"

"Okay. We can do that."

The drive back was much easier this time. Kevin let out a sigh of relief when he felt their apartment door close behind him and heard the large definitive 'clang' of his mother's keys hitting the kitchen counter.

"I'll get dinner ready. Kevin?" Kevin's mother broke the silence.

The disillusioned boy turned his head to his mother.

"Your uncle stopped by. He said he left something for you on your bed. You should check it out while I get the mashed potatoes ready." She let out a weak assuring smile.

Without anything better to do, the young boy strode over to his bedroom while struggling to take off his dreaded tie. He pushed open the door and immediately saw the brown package on his bed. Curiously, he walked closer to it and saw a small note tucked under the string that held the entire package together.

"_Hey, big guy! Heard you did really well out there today. I'll still be stuck at work for the rest of the day, but I was able to sneak away at lunch. I had these lying around for a couple weeks now – thought you might like to take care of them for me. Keep them in a cool, dry place. And don't tell your mother! – Love, Uncle Mike_"

Kevin placed the note down and began gently untying the string. His eyes widened as he tore off the brown paper and saw what his uncle had left him.

"Kevin!" His mother called. "We're going to have company showing up in a little bit. Could you help me set the table?"

* * *

><p>It was later that night when Kevin heard the crashing noise, followed by some heightened screaming.<p>

On a normal day, he would've been fast asleep by three o'clock in the morning, but that day was anything but. It was okay, though. Because of the recent turn of events that turned his world upside down, he was excused from school for the rest of the week.

He had much bigger things that needed his attention, the first one being the large stack of comic books that was sprawled across his entire mattress. The ones his uncle had so graciously left in his care.

After the uncomfortable dinner he had with most of his extended family, he was all too eager to spend the rest of the evening digging into the incredible amount of reading material his uncle had left him. There had to be at least a hundred issues, ranging from the early 1980's to the more recent 2000's. It was everything he could've asked for and more.

Of course, all good things must come to an end, and it wasn't long after midnight when his mother saw the light still emanating beneath his door and stumbled onto the young boy's continued trips into the various fantasy worlds scattered in front of him. After one of his mother's famous "one-way discussions", it was determined that Kevin needed to sleep and that the comics could wait for the next day. Kevin conceded and his mother clicked off his bedroom light after giving him a second kiss goodnight for that night.

Kevin waited for her footsteps to disappear completely when he reached into his closet and pulled out his flashlight and continued reading under the thick blanket of his bed.

From this position he remained until he heard the disturbance that pulled him out of his many fantasy worlds. Something that sounded a lot like glass breaking. But then it was followed by muffled screaming.

The sounds got louder as Kevin quietly ascended the fire escape with as much subtlety as he could muster. As he approached the building's top, he finally got to see the scene unfold before him.

* * *

><p>It had already been a fruitful evening for the girl lived under the guise of Cameron Baum. Even against the wishes of Sarah Connor, she had taken another "night off" from her regular patrolling duties at the Connor household – a decision made all the more easier with the presence of John's new girlfriend, Riley, who decided to stay over for the night to indulge John's occasional zombie movie marathon. Cameron regarded her as a nuisance, a threat, a security hazard, a liability, and one more important classification that she had recent created in her databank.<p>

_Bitch-whore. _

Instead of being the leading of cause of spider-death (one of the implied tasks Sarah Connor had entrusted her with while she slept) and awkward silence in the household, Cameron opted to spend her time elsewhere. Originally, she could've considered leaving John's immediate proximity a grave irresponsibility to her mission, but things change. People change. And Cameron, herself, had changed. John wanted his distance from her, and to an extent she begrudgingly accepted this. Besides, with Sarah and Derek staying home for the night, John would be suitably protected for the time being.

Tonight, she was busying herself with a lead she found in the newspapers. A sudden ball of electricity erupting on a rooftop downtown the night prior made its way on the eight page of that week's LA times. It was good enough excuse for Cameron to investigate.

And that brings us to this moment right now. On a lonely apartment rooftop embedded into the dark underpinnings of downtown Los Angeles. Holding a man who she didn't know over seventy feet from the ground.

"Please! Please, let me go!" The man's legs kicked uselessly as Cameron held him by the collar of his shirt over one of the building's ledges. Cameron scanned the area once again for any potential witnesses and was relieved to find none.

"No." Cameron replied.

"Listen, I'll get you anything you want. Cash, money –"

"I don't want it."

"Lady, c'mon! I don't want to die!"

"You and your friend were peeking into the girls' windows across the street. You lied to me." Cameron reflected on her days at John's high school, remembering how girls like to have their privacy. More importantly, she remembered how girls stood up for one another, as evidenced when Morris, John's friend, tried to get a peek at Cameron's naked figure in the girl's locker room after a gym class. He was met with a hail of objects that were thrown on her behalf in his general direction. At that moment, she sought to retain that sense of comraderie.

Almost as if in total agreement, the word_ Pervert _suddenly appeared on Cameron's HUD in an almost righteous manner when she scanned the man's face for an ID.

"W-what's the harm in getting a quick peek in every once in a while? We weren't hurting nobody!"

"You were being very bad." Cameron pulled the man closer to her face for a brief instant. "I don't like that."

Cameron didn't see the young kid watching the scene unfold from the fire escape. Nor the other man sneaking up on her with a baseball bat ready to strike her.

"Look out!" Kevin called out. Cameron turned toward the impending threat, but it was too late.

The bat had connected with the back of Cameron's head with a thunderous crack, but did little to discourage her from dangling the man's comrade off the building. It was a mistake on all levels for the thug, but one stood out to Cameron the most.

It messed up her hair.

She then noticed something else on a her shoulder. A small tear had occurred in the shoulder of her purple jacket from when the bat splintered into a thousand pieces upon impact.

Her HUD flashed an immediate response that she all-too-willingly agreed with.

The thug gulped as Cameron's head turned to him in a semi-similar manner to Selma Blair's character in _The Exorcist. _And then he could see the petite girl's eyes flash white in absolute rage.

The man clearly had no idea what he had just done.

Cameron didn't even register the fact that she let go of the man she was previously dangling over the ledge. Or the screams that were coming out of his mouth on the way down. Not even the _SPLAT_ noise he made when he hit the pavement below.

For the next two minutes, Cameron did to the thug what she was later best describe as "turning him inside out". In retrospect, it was a smart decision to crush the man's vocal cords first to prevent his screaming, but everything else Cameron did was deemed… excessive… to say the least. John would most certainly not agree with this. And she made sure to better classify this action as something to never do again...

No... wait.

For no good reason, Cameron quickly ran a simulation where Riley took the place of the thug, and found herself immensely more satisfied with the results. She wasn't quite sure why. She secretly stashed the idea away in her memory for further review later as she stepped away from the mess she left on that rooftop. In all the excitement, she failed to acknowledge the young boy that previously called out to her.

"Whoa." Kevin spoke and Cameron immediately turned in his direction. "What did you do?"

Cameron was poised to strike, but upon performing a quick threat diagnostic she retracted her stance and casually walked over to the best calculative position to block the red, pulpy pile of loose organs and bodily fluids behind her from the boy's prying eyes.

Even though she knew it may have been a lost cause, Cameron hoped to minimize the potential trauma he may have incurred while watching the scene.

"You shouldn't be here." Cameron broke the awkward silence after a few long seconds passed. "You should be at home. Sleeping."

Then something unexpected occurred in Cameron's HUD.

_Facial Structural Match… 84%_

_Identity: Kevin Everhart_

Surprised at the sudden revelation, Cameron walked to the young boy, who continued to eye her with a growing sense of curiosity, and knelt down so she was at his level.

"Are you Kevin?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah… How do you…"

"I know you." Cameron said plainly.

"You do? I don't remember you."

"No. You wouldn't."

Kevin's mouth stood agape as he tried to register the totality of the events that had taken place.

"Who were those men?"

"They were… bad guys." Cameron said as she began readjusting her tangled hair.

"Oh…" Kevin relented. "What's your name?"

"Cameron." She spoke with as much gentleness as possible. "I'm a friend."

Kevin continued to stare at the strange girl that had unexpectedly entered his life. It was when his gaze wandered back to the mangled pile of flesh behind her when Cameron spoke again.

"You should go back to bed now."

"I don't sleep." Kevin said grimly. Cameron turned her head slightly sideways at the familiar three word phrase. "At least not anymore."

The young boy took a step back to get a better grasp of the scene before him, but his eyes never strayed from Cameron's. And then a strange thought entered his brain.

"Hey, would you like to see my room?" Kevin's eyes glittered with anticipation. "It's two floors down from the fire escape." Cameron took a hesitative look back at the mess of things she had created and let out a forced humanlike sigh as she pondered her recent homicidal behavior.

"Yes." Cameron replied. "But I may need you to go ahead. I need a few minutes."

Satisfied with the response, Kevin smiled widely as he walked back toward the fire escape. Behind him, Cameron looked at the red mess in front of her and the larger one on the streets below. Miraculously, another witness scan showed no activity, something Cameron was incredibly thankful for.

She quietly retrieved a mop and bucket from a nearby janitorial closet as she made her way down below. It was ten minutes later when she emerged back up on the rooftop, ready to rejoin Kevin.


	2. It Begins

**Due to unusually high demand, we're back to more of Cameron's late night misadventures. Plus, I think my head will explode if I don't take a break from the other things I'm working on. Have fun.**

* * *

><p>The house was buzzing with activity as Cameron entered from the front door of the Connor household.<p>

"Where were you all night?" Cameron froze and turned to face John who was standing right next to the doorway.

"Out." She replied without making eye contact.

"Uh huh. Yeah, I bet."

"Is there something wrong, John?"

"Well, mom's pretty pissed off. I gotta go meet with Riley to study for English. So whatever explanation you have, it better be good." John said. "Oh, by the way." He dumped a full laundry basket into Cameron's arms. "Riley's laundry machine is getting repaired, so some of her stuff is in there too. I'll see you around."

With that, John was out the door without a second thought. Cameron was overcome with absolute indifference as she headed to the laundry room.

"Well, well. Looks like we're taking machine wash to a whole new level." A sweaty Derek remarked as he passed Cameron in the hallway. Cameron conducted a brief scan and determined that he had just completed some physical activity, like jogging. He took the opportunity to add some more dirty clothes in Cameron's basket. "Glad I could help." Derek added with a sarcastic smile as he made his way into his room to change.

Cameron resumed her journey to the wash room.

"Hold it, girly." Again, Cameron stopped as Sarah Connor walked up behind her with her arms crossed.

"Yes?" Cameron asked innocently. She already new what the conversation topic would be before it even started.

"Where did you disappear to last night?" Sarah asked with a degree of venom in her voice.

"There was a disturbance." Cameron said.

"Disturbance." Sarah said mockingly.

"Yes, I was investigating the –"

"I don't want to hear it. We need you here, I've told you this a thousand times. What would happen if we were attacked? What use would you be then?"

"John spends most of his time with Riley now. I've been told not to follow."

"That's not an excuse to go do whatever you want."

"Perhaps Riley would provide some degree of protection should a threat arise."

"What?" Sarah said. "That doesn't make any sense."

"It would. She would make an adequate distraction." Cameron said as she turned. "Or little blonde meat shield."

Sarah just shook her head and walked away as Cameron kept going to the laundry room.

* * *

><p>It was later that day when the topic came up again during lunch with Sarah, John, Derek, and Riley in attendance at the dinner table. With nothing better to do, Cameron took it upon herself to be head chef. In her spare time, Cameron had taken a liking to the local cooking show as a way to eat up more of her increasingly spare time. She was becoming quite good at it. She had even gone so far as to wear an apron that said "KISS THE CHEF" before Derek made her take it off. Asshole.<p>

"God, why am I so itchy?" Riley said as she scratched at her sweater. "My whole body is just so… itchy right now."

"Maybe it was something you ate?" Derek said as he chewed freshly made toast in his mouth.

"No, I don't have any allergies to anything."

"Well, I think school can be a little stressful at times." Sarah said as she coffee. "Do you usually come down with hives before a big test or stuff like that?"

"No, not really." Riley said adamantly as she continued scratching.

"Perhaps it was a dysfunction in your hygiene patterns." Cameron said as she approached the table with a large pan of mashed potatoes.

"No! Never!"

John gave a quizzical look at Cameron before speaking. "Maybe your clothes –"

"No. I washed the entire household's clothes. They're perfect." Cameron interjected, taking pride in her clever wording.

"Alright, I'll deal with this later." Riley said.

"So, Cameron. Anything interesting going on with you?" Derek said. He didn't want to waste anytime stirring up trouble at the table after hearing of Cameron's lapse in security. "I heard you went out last night."

"Oh, wow. Cameron I didn't know you had any friends." Riley added, still scratching here and there. "Did you… you know go out, get crazy a little?"

Sarah, Derek, and John all shifted uncomfortably in their seats at the same time. Cameron remained standing where she was, still wearing oven mitts as she stared at Riley.

"No." Cameron answered. "But I did make a new friend though."

Sarah choked on her coffee for a split second.

Derek's face was of nothing but concern at this point. "Is this, uh, friend of yours… Is he… still around?" John and Sarah exchanged concerned looks as Derek spoke. Riley was too obliviously entranced by her graham crackers to pay any attention to the ongoing conversation within a conversation going on between the Connor household.

"Yes." Cameron finally answered.

A collective sigh gripped the table as Cameron leaned over to collect dirty plates and dishes.

"My coffee tastes a little funny." Riley changed the subject.

"That's a logical impossibility. Funny is subjective to human behavior. Coffee is inanimate. Therefore, coffee cannot be funny."

"No, what I'm saying is…" Riley was interrupted by a large groan that coming from her abdomen. "Oh. Oh, God."

Cameron summoned a small smirk on her lips as she watched Riley hurriedly make a run for the bathroom. It was maybe a few seconds later when everyone heard a little yelp from Riley followed by a large thud.

"Hey, you okay?" John got up from his chair and walked to the hallway.

"Who left all these marbles in the hallway?" Riley screamed.

Both Sarah and Derek looked at Cameron.

"I had them out earlier. I must have forgot." Cameron said.

"Since when do machines play with marbles?" Derek said as he finished his coffee.

"Furthermore, I'm really starting to wonder why... Oh, geez." Derek gripped his stomach as it let out a large moan.

"Use the bathroom upstairs." Cameron said as she watched Derek hurriedly take off from the table. It wasn't long before another thud was heard.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Derek yelled. "HOW MANY MARBLES DO YOU HAVE?"

Sarah exchanged a vindictive look to Cameron.

"GREAT. JUST GREAT. NOW I NEED NEW PANTS!"

"More coffee?" Cameron asked innocently as she held a new pot of it in her hand. Sarah eyed her cup before setting it aside cautiously.

* * *

><p>It was later than night once all the humans began turning in to their respective bedrooms when Cameron went to hers. From there, she carefully climbed out the window and headed out into the night.<p>

Kevin heard a light rapping at his window as he read his new comic books. He turned to see a kneeled down Cameron as she peered curiously inside.

"You can use the front door, you know." He said as he opened the window let the experience man-killing cyborg into his room.

"No. I thought it was important that we not disturb your mother." Cameron responded. "We talked about this before."

"Oh. Oh, right. She would freak out if she found out about this."

"I don't think this is a good idea either. We shouldn't act outside the social order of criminal justice. It draws unnecessary attention."

"But you said it yourself when you took care of those men last night." Kevin responded. "People need someone to watch over them at night."

"But this isn't my primary design." Cameron responded.

"Nah, it'll be fine, I promise." Kevin replied. He pondered for a moment before seizing in complete excitement as he came up with that plan.

"I know! I know! Let's do a test run. Tonight."

"It's nine o'clock. It's already past your bedtime."

"I can sleep in until whenever I want, silly!" Kevin said as he poked Cameron gently in the nose. "C'mon, I know where we can start."

He took Cameron's hand and led her back to the window and pointed to an apartment across the street.

"There's a group of guys who live across the street. The cops are always going in there. I know they're up to nothing good. But they always get off scot free. I don't know why."

"The legal system in Los Angeles County is heavily flawed." Cameron concluded. "It is possible they have access to superior legal counsel."

"See, that's what I'm talking about!" Kevin said. "You have all this information on you. And you can kick serious butt! You were made for this, Cammy!"

Cammy. John had called her that once. But that was a long time ago. Before Riley.

"Okay." Cameron said. "I'll deal with them."

"Hang on, let me go with you!"

"No, it's too dangerous. You should stay here."

"Aww, c'mon…"

Cameron reflected on her current position. She was now denying someone else from coming with her when she herself was facing the same dilemma with John and Riley. She would not let this happen again to someone else.

"Okay." Cameron relented. "But bring your coat."

* * *

><p><strong>CAMERON CASE FILES #001: DRUG POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE<strong>

"Who's that at the door?" One of the men yelled over the football game on the television.

"Well, would you look it here… we got ourselves a white girl." Another said as he looked through the keyhole.

"Don't just stand there, let her in!"

Cameron did a threat analysis of the room as the man let her in. Three men. One watching TV. Another packaging illegal narcotics on a nearby table. And the one in front of him. He was the only one carrying a firearm.

Kevin walked in behind her carrying a notebook.

"Whoa, sugar. Little man is going to have to wait outside, but we can still give you a good time for the right price." The man licked his lips as he eyed Cameron maliciously. "What can I get for you?"

"Tell him, tell him!" Kevin said excitedly. "Exactly as I told you!"

Cameron face went stone cold as she glared the man down in front of her.

"Justice."

She grabbed the man by the collar and delivered a powerful kick to his sternum. The man went sailing past the man watching TV and crashing into the wall behind him.

The two remaining men exchanged looks as Cameron pretended to crack her knuckles.

"Damn, this shit just got real!" The man fell back in his chair and tried desperately to reach the shotgun that he had stashed underneath the couch cushions nearby. He wouldn't make it.

Cameron grabbed his foot and drug him to the middle of the room. She then proceeded to beat the man's face into the floor as he screamed hysterically. Once he was finally unconscious did Cameron turn her attention to the last one who didn't move through the whole time Cameron had been there.

The man's eyes were completely wide as Cameron approached.

"Listen, take what you want. Drugs, money. Just please don't hurt me."

Cameron thought for a beat before making the ultimate decision to hurt the man anyway.

"You bring harm to those around you. You will pay for what you have done to society." Cameron balled her fist.

"Oh, god." The man gulped.

"Awesome!" Kevin yelled as Cameron drug him to the nearby bathroom and began drowning the man's head in the toilet.

Cameron kept him there for two minutes before dragging the gasping man out and delivering a final punch to this cranium.

"Cam! Cam! I hear sirens! We have to go!" Kevin's heart was racing as he watched Cameron comb her hair back into place with her fingers.

"Right." She agreed. She quickly grabbed Kevin and retreated out of the door as the sirens got louder.

* * *

><p>"That was amazing!" Kevin said as both he and Cameron slipped back through his bedroom window.<p>

"Yes. I suppose it was." Cameron agreed.

"This is it! This is where we can start planning!" Kevin said excitedly.

"Planning?" Cameron was slightly confused.

"We need to come up with your secret identity!"

"I don't understand."

Kevin pulled out an issue of Batman and flipped eagerly through the pages before showing Cameron a panel.

"'Criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot.'" Cameron read from Bruce Wayne's dialog bubble. "'So my disguise must be able to strike terror into their hearts.'"

"Right!" We need to get you a costume, a mask… a cape!"

"I'm still not following."

"You need an outfit to keep your identity a secret. So your loved ones won't become targets by criminals!"

John. Cameron thought.

Kevin's excitement was peak high once he handed Cameron the notebook he had with him during her raid on the apartment.

"What is this?" Cameron asked.

"This is a drawing I made while I watched you beat the crap out of those guys. Look!"

Cameron looked over the surprisingly well drawn sketch of her in various masks and outfits.

"What do you think?" Kevin asked.

Cameron eyed each of the sketches before settling her finger down on one.

"This one."

"You like it."

"Yes. It's tight." Cameron said as Kevin beamed with pride.

"One thing."

"Yeah? Tell me!"

"It needs more purple."

* * *

><p><strong>Originally, Uncle Derek was supposed to have much more terrible things happen to him in the bathroom, but I relented. It was pretty bad, even for my standards.<strong>

**POLL: What should Cameron's superhero moniker be?**


	3. Field Test

**TWO WEEKS LATER**

* * *

><p><em>"Jim. Police authorities are still adamant in their acknowlegement of an underground figure known as Mr. Big. We're going right now to the police commissioner's remarks earlier today."<em>

_"That hasn't been any inidication of the existence of a crime boss of that calibur in LA county. Mr. Big doesn't exist."_

_"Due to the recent surge of crime figures, Jim, I have reason to believe otherwise. We stand outside ZeiraCorp right now, which has appeared to be victim to an attack last night where a calling card stated as Mr. Big was later found. Ms. Weaver! Ms. Weaver! What do you have to say about this recent attack which resulted in the theft of half of your equipment?"_

_"No comment."_

_"Well, there you have it, Jim. While officials continue to deny any sort of involvement of such a figure, the name 'Mr. Big' is quickly becoming an urban legend among the citizens._

* * *

><p>It was seven in the morning when John Connor woke up. He let out a heavy yawn and slowly made the descent down the household staircase leading right into the kitchen. Sarah followed shortly behind him, equally trying to shake the sleepiness from her system. She flipped the power button on the Mr. Coffee and began her latest attempt to cook scrambed eggs without the house burning down.<p>

"Morning." John said as he doubled back from the fridge with a glass of milk.

"Good morning." Sarah replied. "How'd you sleep?"

"Alright." John looked around. "Have you seen Cameron around lately?"

"No. Trust me, I need to have another heart-to-heart conversation with her when she does show up?"

"You mean 'heart-to-nuclear power cell', right?"

"It's too early to start being smart, John." The smell of something burning was already taking over the kitchen. "But even you've seen her. Going out all night and coming back with cuts and bruises."

"Yeah, I know."

"Go ahead and start getting ready. We're leaving straight after breakfast."

"What, do we have a new lead?" John's curiosity perked. "For Skynet?"

"No." Sarah said as she scraped the pan. "Dental appointment."

At those words, John felt like a seven year old again, and let out a groan to let Sarah know it. He was still rubbing his eyes as he walked into the bathroom. He didn't notice Cameron in there with him as he started brushing his teeth in front of the mirror.

"Good morning." Cameron finally said and John almost felt his skeleton vacate his skin completely.

"Holy!" John yelped.

John turned to see the terminator sitting on the tiolet with her pants down near the bowl. In her hands, a book with the words "Criminal Law" on the cover was staged in front of her. John blushed as he did his best to look away immediately.

"Cameron. Don't. Do. That."

"I'm sorry." Cameron replied, still reading her book.

_WHOOOOMP._ John turned his head as he heard the peculiar moan come from the tiolet.

"Wait... Cameron, are you... pooping?"

"I'm conducting routine maintenance on my system involving the elimination of refuse particles." Cameron paused for a second to simplify. "Yes."

John's toothbrush was still dangling in his mouth at the realization.

"Well, I guess I learned something new today." John remarked.

"Terminator anatomy may prove useful to you." Cameron put her book down for second and looked at John. "If you would like, you can come closer and I can show you how it all works."

Before anything else could happen, Sarah had already reached in and grabbed her gawking son by the ear and dragged him out of the bathroom.

"We need to talk." Sarah said once John was evacuated, slamming the door behind her. "I need to know what you've been up to."

Cameron shrugged off her slight disappointment as she picked her book back up. She silently hoped Sarah hadn't discovered the new materials she had acquired in her closet.

"When I get back from the dentist, I want a full disclosure."

Cameron gave a curt nod and flipped another page of her criminal justice book. She had no intention of keeping that promise. At least not today. She would be busy.

* * *

><p><strong>LATER THAT NIGHT<strong>

The wind howled and screamed mercilessly as the smell of the downtown Los Angeles entered into Cameron's sensors again. Her purple cape was being tugged and pulled mercilessly by the all-consuming breeze, even at two o'clock in the morning. Her hair did much the same, but it was the farthest thing from a bother to her.

She stood seated next to a gargoyle that lay dormant on the fifty story building she was perched on. Like her, it was watching the city. She could see the entire intersection from this point, even though the purple mask she wore over her eyes at times obscured her vision. It was a necessary evil. Just like that black armor she wore on her body and legs. Not her tactical preference, but enough to covey both intimidation and anonymity to the prey she sought out.

Her earpiece came to life for the first time in hours. Even with all her planning, the LAPD communication still proved useful. Useful enough for her to break into a vacant cop car outside of a local donut shop and steal the radio. It was only a matter of converting it to a more portable means.

Tonight was the night.

She grabbed both ends of her cape and made a perfect swan dive to the world below.

* * *

><p><em>"I'm not understanding how the cape is necessary." Cameron pointed out to Kevin. "It's too risky from a tactical standpoint."<em>

_"All good crime fighters have capes." Kevin stubbornly replied. "Trust me, you need to do this."_

_"But it only really applied to those who were capable of flight. I don't fly."_

_"Who says you can't?"_

* * *

><p><em>"Flight?" The physicist squeaked out as Cameron tightened the grip on his throat. If he hadn't been caught red-handed stealing money from the university he worked at, he wouldn't be in this situation. It was only a matter of time before Cameron would find him. "You want to be able to use that cape of yours to fly?"<em>

_"Yes."_

_"Well, I don't think..." His eyes nearly bulged as Cameron readjusted her grip again._

_"Okay." He squeaked again. "Maybe I can take a look at it."_

* * *

><p>The risk had paid off. Immediately, the twines he installed the cape came to life as she continued her descent to the streets below. Within seconds, the wind pushed up on her.<p>

And she was flying.

All the work she put forth in the past two weeks toward realizing her current image was finally paying off.

But Cameron felt complete exhiliration nonetheless as she marveled at the streets below. She had never considered airborne operations in her mission to protect John. She had always felt restricted to her more ground-based approaches and never considered the alternatives. Now the tactical possibilities were enormous!

Even though the streets were mostly vacant at this time of night, Cameron looked ahead of herself and quickly found her first injustice for the night.

Below her, a man was struggling to rip the purse away from a screaming woman next to a nearby mailbox.

Cameron noted the event as she flew right past them without a second thought.

* * *

><p><strong>CAMERON CASE FILES #005: JAYWALKING<strong>

Claudia Vandersees was walking back to her apartment when she decided to skip waiting on the LA crosswalk to light up. The lights were notorious to keep people waiting for longer than normal cities. She blamed it on the times. But at the ripe age of sixty-eight, she felt that she was no longer deserving to waste her life waiting just like the rest of the people. Maybe it was the wine talking, but she decided to carry through her apt plan anyway. The streets were almost completely empty. What harm could it do?

About three steps into her venture, she found out.

Cameron saw her from over fifty yards away. She brought both of her arms inward and immediately set her trajectory at the lawbreaker.

Claudia was already unconscious when the terminator slammed into her at a speed upwards of seventy miles an hour.

"You were moving recklessly during normal traffic conditions." Cameron said as she recomposed herself and stood over Claudia. She was blissfully unaware that Claudia was now in a coma that would last for the next twelve hours, and would now need a metal plate put into her hip. "The rules apply to everyone. You are no exception."

Cameron picked up the woman and immediately set it on the sidewalk nearby.

She then pulled out her grapple gun and fired it with perfect accuracy onto a nearby building.

* * *

><p><em>"Now you want something to get you airborne from the ground level?" The same physicist was paid a visit two days later. This time Cameron had a shotgun and was more straight to the point.<em>

_"Yes." Cameron pressed the barrell of the shotgun harder to the man's temple. "I like flying."_

_"I-I'll see what I can do."_

_He presented her with the grappling gun soon after._

* * *

><p><strong>CAMERON CASE FILES #006: LITTERING<strong>

David Anderson was just getting off from his shift at Wendy's when he decided to take some merchandise home with him. It wasn't a big deal, to him. All the food got thrown out at the end of the night anyway. It was common practice, even for managers, to take a little snake home after a long day of work.

He rounded the corner and was almost to his car when he finished his first burger. He immediately considered tossing the useless wrapper in the trash can he just passed, but chose to simply throw in on the ground. The girlfriend he had broke up with three days prior, the one that was studying "chemistry" at Pepperdine and thought that David's current ambitions at Wendy's were not a good prospect, was a huge environmental freak. Simply throwing the wrapper down on the ground was a quiet victory for him after she had broken up with him. He marveled gloriously at imagining her face in absolute horror at his unclean act. It brought a smile to his face. For half a second.

"Wrong."

David heard a slight _ZING_ in the air followed by the searing pain that now appeared in his left leg. Something metal was in his leg. He pulled it out with great effort, finally seeing what it was that hit him. It was... a _shuriken_? What ninjas used? Hit was hit by two more in the same leg in mere seconds after that fact.

It was moments later as he lay screaming in the secluded parking lot when he saw a figure outlined in purple cape and mask emerge from the darkness.

"Jesus Christ!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Pick it up." Cameron commanded.

"Wh-What? Pick up what?" David said hysterically as he lay bleeding on the ground.

Another shuriken was thrown. And then another. And another. Now David's right leg was on fire.

"Pick up the wrapper." Cameron pulled back the hammer. "Evildoer."

Cameron watched as the twenty-two year old shakingly reached for the wrapper. She threw another shuriken near his head, prompting another yelp of terror as it ricocheted off a lamp post behind him.

"Put it in the trash can. Now."

David did as he was told, leaving a thick streak of blood on the concrete as he struggled to bring one kneecap in front of the other, and finally tossing the wrapper into the trash can with great care.

"Littering detoriates the environment around you and affects the quality of life for others. Cease this at once." Cameron turned around. "Or I'll be back."

Cameron back-kicked the man in the face and fired her grapple gun into the skyline once more.

* * *

><p><strong>CAMERON CASE FILES #007: INDECENT EXPOSURE<strong>

James and Melanie Ferguson had only been married for a month, but they still couldn't get enough of each other. At their every waking instant they found themselves able to claw at each other within moments. They both met at the modeling agency they worked at for the past year or so. They were both good-looking and they knew it. And many a night they secretly wanted to share that fact with the world during their nights of love-making. The curtains were never draw down, the lights were always on, the window was always open, and all their neighbors across the street between the third and fifth floors of their apartment complex got to see them in all their glory.

Both of them would never admit it, but they secretly loved having an audience - it made them go at it with even more intensity. All it took this night was an episode of True Blood to get them in the mood. Within seconds, the stage in their bedroom was set and they were going at it like made.

So much that neither of them noticed Cameron as she glided in and landed quietly on the open window sill. The terminator had every intention of stopping their indecent act almost right away, but soon found herself tilting her head and utterly fascinated just watching the couple do their dirty business. She was there for maybe three minutes before Melanie looked up and noticed the purple caped crusader and screamed.

"Hello." Cameron didn't know what else to say as her cape flowed with the fresh wind coming in through the window.

"What are you doing?" Melanie shrieked as James gave her a perplexed look.

"I'm watching you."

"W-Why?" Melanie pulled the sheets over her exposed breasts.

"Your window was open."

Melanie and James both exchanged another look as one of them clicked their lamp off.

"I knew if we kept doing this, it would be a bad idea." Melanie said with an air of honesty.

"Yeah, I know..." James responded. They knew they were busted.

"How long have you two been together?" Cameron asked.

"Little under a year." Melanie answered.

"You two were caught doing an illegal action." Cameron said plainly. "This could cause problems for your relationship."

"Yeah, I guess we were." Melanie replied.

"She started it." James pointed to his wife

"I did not!"

"And yet," Cameron said matter-of-factly. "You two aren't fighting." She immediately recalled Sarah's beratement of her whenever she killed someone. And John's crass comments he made whenever Riley was present. All the relationship data she acquired over the years predominantly came from them.

"I... guess not." James answered. "What do you mean?"

Cameron took the quiet invitation into the room and sat indian-style at the foot of their bed, like a kindergarten student listening to a teacher. Both James and Melanie shot each other another look and shifted themselves on the bed.

"Your relationship." Cameron began as she took off her bothersome mask. "How do you make it work?"

"Communication." They both said at once.

* * *

><p><strong>There's a heavy influence from DC Comics' Huntress character when it came to figuring out what Cameron the crimefighter would look like. If I decide to keep going with this story, this would be a prototype design though, so changes will probably be made to the suit later on. In case you can't tell, Cameron hasn't fully grasped the law yet so her flying past the site of a mugging in order to dive bomb a jaywalker is a result of that.<strong>


End file.
